Re: Torrance's of Enfield, Pelham, MA

Jan, I suspected that you didn't have the information about "Mrs. Torrance" dying at the "Poor Farm" since you didn't mention it.It's only real significance to me is that I've noticed that in this Torrance family, over generations, many members frequently had relatives of various kinds, as well as boarders, living in their households.It has struck me that this is true in the Torrance family more than any other family of a large number which I am researching.It's as if it's a family tradition that they would take in family members who needed a place to stay for at least a short time, and they adhered to it rather strictly.So it seemed strange that Eunice would die on a poor farm rather than at the home of one of the at least two children living nearby.As in all things genealogical, my observance of this family's tradition doesn't make it so.

Eunice, the d/o Jeduthan I and Eunice Gibbs, married Samuel Parsons Cook and remained in the Hadley area until her death on 11 July 1884.

There is a marriage for a Patty Torrance to a Silas Boynton in Enfield, Hampshire, MA, on 16 Oct. 1830.They are said to have had a son, Thomas, and there is a Thomas Boynton, 17?, in the 1850 Census with John Torrance and his family and Eunice Torrance, which would place Thomas' year of birth at 1833.That is unlikely if it was his father who m. Almira Sargeant of Lewiston on 25 Feb. 1832.I have found only one record of a child of Silas Boynton and Almira Sargeant---Loren Sargent Boynton b. 11 May, 1837, in Pelham, Hampshire, MA.Other than the 1850 census, I find no other record of Thomas Boynton.It is said that he d. of TB when still young.There is a death record of a Silas Boynton, d. 02 Dec., 1892 (extracted year of birth 1807), widowed, s/o Silas Boynton and Olive Harrington, buried Enfield.There are cartloads of Boyntons spelled in many ways.

Thomas Torrance of Enfield m. Mary M. Latham of Pelham on 23 Oct. 1833 or 23 Nov. 1833, in Enfield (possibly the first date is the filing of intention).There is no identifying information on either of them on this record.Just a couple of days ago I found the death records for Mary Torrance, 28 (b. ca. 1819), d. Feb. 1847, spouse Thomas Torrance.On the line above her death record is the death record of Loring Torrance, d. Sept. 1846, s/o Thomas and Mary Torrance.For both of these people, the written records says died in "unknown" but the transcriptions say both d. in Springfield, MA.My "infamous" family stories say that Thomas moved to Palatine, Cook Co., IL.After much searhing I did find a Thomas Torrance living in that place, b. Mass., age indicates birth year of 1811, BUT with a wife Lovina/Lavina and several children.I had dismissed thisas the wrong Thomas because the wife's name wasn't "right" but I think this needs more research.